Metal-bending machine.



No. 857,764. 7 EATENTED JUNE 25,1907.`

II M. SMITH. METAL BBNDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15. 1905.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mim!

IIII

rHDNaRRls Prm: co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED JUNE `25, 1907.

HIH [ufl l H. M. SMTH.

METAL BENDING MACHINE.

50 4 to this invention, and Fig. 8 is a detail view UNITED STATES PATENToEErcE.

NlpETAL-BENDING MACHINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application led November 15, 1905. Serial No. 287,463.

T all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT M. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Worcester, in the county of Vorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Metal-Bending Machine, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for making folds or bends insheet-metal.

The especial object of this invention is to provide a machine forsimultaneously bending the wings projecting from three sides of asheet-metal blank.

A machine constructed according to this invention has beenv especiallydesigned for bending and shaping the dentils forming parts of ornamentalcornice work of buildings.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawing machine constructed accordingto this invention partly broken away. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof.Fig. 3 is a plan view,

Fig. 4l is a central transverse sectional view.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the adjustable gage pins. Fig. 6 is afragmentary view showing the replaceable cross-piece and its connectionwith one of the side-plates. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a sheet-metalblank of the kind which is adapted to be folded or bent upon a machineconstructed according ofba sheet-inetal dentil bent into shape for usein connection with the ornamental cornice of a building.

In sheet-metal cornice work for buildings the body-portion of anornamental cornice is usually formed by sheet metal, and the ornamentalblocks or dentils which project from the body'portion of the cornice areusually formed of separate pieces which are riveted or fastened to thebody of the cornice. The dentilsor'projecting parts which are used toornament the cornice are of various sizes and are usually designed byarchitects according to the porportions and locations of a buildingwhich is to be ornamented thereby.

Heretofore in manufacturing sheet metal cornice work the dentils havebeen folded` or bent from sheet metal blanks by means of handoperations. The especial object of my present invention is to provide ametal bending machine which will fold or bend the wings which projectfrom three sides of a sheet metal blank so as to form the same into abox-like structure to be used as a ings, Figure l is a front view of ametal benddentil for cornice work. uisite of a machine for this purposeis that the same shall be readily adjustable for use on different sizedblanks, and different shapes of dentils, as it seldom happens thatdentils of two separate pieces of cornice work will have the samedimensions.

In a machine constructed according to this invention I have provided fordoing a variety of work by means of an adjustable bending frameconsisting of two side wings which may be movable relatively to eachother, and between the side wings I insert replaceable cross-pieces ofdifferent lengths according to the width of the particular dentils whichare to be bent. I consider this a particularly important feature of themachine, as by the use of a set of replaceable cross-pieces I have beenenabled to provide a machine adapted to bend a wide range of work. f

In the particular machine herein illustrated the machine frame carriestwo relatively adjustable tables. Each of these tables is provided witha vertical guideway carrying a vertically movable plate forming part ofthe bending frame. The two tables may be moved toward or away from eachother according to the width of the blank which is to be operated upon,and they ends of the plates are connected by one of the replaceablecross-pieces which when held in position co-operates with a front piecein bending up a third or end iiange ofthe blank. The machine is operatedby means of a treadle mounted to exert a powerful leverage, andadjustability of the tables is secured by a lead-screw having right andleft-hand threads thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detail description of ametal bending machine embodying this invention, as shown in Figs. l and2, 10 designates a rectangular frame or bed. The machine frame l() issupported upon three legs, two legs 11 at the front of the machine, anda third leg at the rear thereof. Movable on the machine frame are thetwo tables which carry the side-plates of the adjustable bending frame.The tables are similar in construction, eX- cept that they are rightsand lefts with respect to each other. A description of one of suchtables is all that is required. As shown in Fig. 2, the right-handadjustable table comprises a plate or casting 13 having a verticalguideway 14 which is stiffened and One essential req- IOO supported by aflange 15. Mounted in the llange 15 and on a front plate 16 is the tabletop 17. As shown in Fig. 3, the table top 17 is provided with one ormore dove-tailed grooves 18 resembling the grooves of a planer table,and adjustably mounted in the grooves 18 are stops for positioning thework. One of these stops is illustrated in Fig. 5 and may consist of ascrew 20 which may be threaded to a fastening piece 19 fitted in one ofthe dove-tail grooves of the table top. The inner side of the box-likeadjustable table is closed by a side-piece 21, and riveted into theupper edge of the side-piece 21 is a steel strip 22 forming a bendingedge for one wing of a sheet-metal blank.

As shown in Fig. 4, each of the adjustable tables has a springclamp-plate 23. The clamp-plate 23 is held in place by screws 24, saidscrews extending through slots, and the heads of such screws beinglocated in counterbores or recesses.

As shown in Fig. 1, each of the clampplates' 23 is carried by arms 25vertically movable upon guide-pins 26, and normally held up by springs27.

Mounted in each of the vertical guideways 14 is a slide 47, shown inFig. 4, and extending forward from the slide 47 is a bending plate 48forming one of the sides of the adjustable bending frame.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the bending plate 48 is partiallydetached or separated from the thicker slide 47 by means of the verticalslot shown, and this construction is adopted in order that the bendingplate i may have sufficient flexibility to permit the same to spring inslightly to accommodate different thicknesses of sheet-metal. Forexample, in bending 24 gage stock the same machine adjustment would behad as for lighter stock, the additional thickness of the metal beingprovided for by the spring or yielding of the bending plates 48.

The front of the adjustable bending frame is formed by a removable piece30, shown in Fig. 6, the end of which fits into a rabbeted socket ineach of the bending plates 48, and is supported in place b y means of apin 49.

Fastened on the front of the frame of the machine is a removable frontplate 45 carrying a steel strip 46 which co-operates with a removablepiece 30 to fold up an end-wing of the blank which is to be operatedupon.

The three steel strips 22, 46, and 22 are removable and can be replacedwhen worn out. It is also to be understood that if desired, these steelstrips may be replaced by strips having sheared edges when it is desiredto use the machine for shearing or cutting out three sides of a blank.

To adjust the machine for dierent kinds of work, I provide a lead-screw32 having a hand-wheel 33. The lead-screw 32 near one end isscrew-threaded with threads of a right-hand pitch, and is threaded intoa nut 34 carried by one of the tables. Near the other end the lead-screwis threaded with left-hand threads, and is threaded into a nut carriedby the other adjustable table. By means of this construction the tablesand the side plates forming part of the adjustable bending frame may beopened or adjusted according to the width of the blank which is to beoperated upon, the different positions of the side-pieces of the foldingframe requiring the use of different replaceable front pieces.

The bending operation is preferably accomplished by means of a treadle.As shown in Fig. 2, I preferably employ a bellcrank shaped treadle 36which is normally held up by a spring 37. Connected to the bell-crankshaped treadle 36 is an adjustable link 38, which, at its upper end, asshown in Fig. 4, is connected to a shaft 40 which extends through thevertically movable slides. By depressing the treadle, the bending framewill be moved down.

As shown in Fig. 2, it will be noticed that the pivotal connection ofthe link 38; the pivot of the treadle to the frame of the machine; andthe connection with the vertically movable slides, are but slightly outof line with each other, and that as the treadle is depressed, the link38 will be swung rearwardly, tending to bring these centers more nearlyin line with each other, and to produce a toggle action, so that a heavybending pressure can be exerted if desired.

An understanding of the work of the machine can be had from Figs. 7 and8. Fig. 7 illustrates one form of blank used for making a dentil. Infolding this particular construction the stops would be first set toproper' position, and a number of blanks would have the four extremitiesof their extending wings simultaneously bent to form the footpieces Eshown in Fig. 8. The machine would then be reset, the stops put toproper position, and by turning over the blank a second bendingoperation will turn the wings B, C and D in the opposite direction tothe foot-pieces E, forming the completed dentil as shown in Fig. 8.

In the complete dentil, the ends of the wings will be bent back to formsmall footpieces E, but this may be done as a separate operationdistinct from the work of simultaneously bending the side and end wingsfor which a machine constructed according to this invention isespecially designed.

While I have illustrated and described a particular form in which Iprefer to embody my invention, I am aware that modifications may be madetherein without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressedin the claims.

Having thus fully described this invention and the manner in which thesame is per- IOO IIO

formed, what is claimed and sought to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is l. In a metal bending machine, t-he combination ofan eXpansible bending frame, consisting of relatively adjustable sideplates and a replaceable cross-piece, and means cooperating with thebending frame to simultaneously bend the wings projecting from the sidesof a sheet-metal blank.

2. In a metal bending machine, the combination of two relatively movabletables, an eXpansible bending frame comprising a side plate carried byeach of said tables and arplaceable cross-piece, and means co-operatingwith the bending frame 'for simultaneously bending the wings of asheet-metal blank.

3. In ametal bending machine, the combination of an eXpansible bendingframe consisting of relatively adjustable side plates, and a replaceablecross-piece, side strips cooperating with the bending frame tosimultaneously bend the side wings of a sheetmetal blank, and springpressed clampplates co-operating with the side-plates of the bendingframe to hold the work in place while being bent.

4. In a metal bending machine, the combination of two relativelyadjustable tables, each having a guideway, a side-plate mounted in eachoi said guideways and forming parts of an expansible bending frame, areplaceable piece'forming a third side of the expansible bending frame,and a springpressed clamp-plate carried by each of said tables andco-operating with a side-plate to clamp the work while the same is beingbent.

5. In a metal bending machine, the combination of two relatively movabletables, each having a guideway, a side-plate guided in each of saidtables and forming part of an eX- pansible bending frame, a removablepiece between the side-plates forming a third side of the bending frame,a front piece having an edge (3o-operating with the removable piece tobend one wing of the blank, and the tables having edges co-operatingwith the sideplates to bend the side wings of the blank, said frontpiece being removable so that the same may be taken 0H when desired.

6. In a metal bending machine, the combination of a machine frame, tworelatively movable side plates thereon, and a removable piece supportedby said side plates and forming therewith a three-sided bending Jframe.

7. In a metal bending machine, the combination of an eXpansible bendingframe, consisting of relatively adjustable side plates and a replaceablecross-piece, means co-operating with the bending frame to simultaneouslybend the side wings of a sheet-metal blank, a treadle, and a toggleacting connection between the treadle and bending frame.

8. In a metal bending machine, the combination of two relativelyadjustable box-like tables, a bending plate mounted in ways on each ofsaid tables, and a clamp plate co-operating with each of said bendingplates, each of said clamp-plates being carried by arms fitted ontoguide-pins and supported by springs.

9. In a metal bending machine, the combination of two relatively movabletables, a

bending plate movably mounted on each of said tables, a cross-shaftconnecting the bending plates, and a treadle connected to thecross-shaft to operate the bending plates.

10. In a metal bending machine, the combination of two relativelyadjustable tables, each having slots in its upper surface, gagepins orstops adjustable in said slots for positioning the work, a bending platecarried by each of said tables, and means for simultaneously operatingthe bending plates.

l1. In a metal bending machine, the combination of the machine frame,two relatively movable tables, a lead-screw having right and left-handscrew threads for moving the tables toward or away from each other,gaging-pins adjustable in the tables for positioning the work, a sideplate mounted in guideways on each of said tables, a crosspiececonnecting the si'de plates to form a third side of the bending frame, aspringpressed clamp-plate carried by each of the tables, andco-operating with the corresponding plate for clamping the work whilebeing acted upon, a cross-shaft connecting the bending plates, and atreadle connected to operate the cross-shaft.

12. In a metal bending machine, the combination of a machine frame, aremovable Jfront plate thereon, side pieces, and an eX- pansible bendingframe movable past the edges of the iront plate and side pieces.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HERBERT M. SMITH. Witnesses:

PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE, MARY E. REGAN.

IOO

IOS

